Burkina Faso gold mine blast kills at least 60

SMA NEWS – OUAGADOUGOU

At least 60 people have died after an explosion at a makeshift gold mine in a village in southwest Burkina Faso, local officials say.

The blast happened in a market at the gold-mining site when dynamite stored there caught fire, witnesses said.

Images from the scene show a huge crater, destroyed homes and bodies lying on the ground.

Many of the dozens of injured people have been evacuated to the Gaoua Regional Hospital Center.

It is thought women and children are among the casualties, the AFP news agency reports.

An investigation was opened into Monday’s incident, after the regional prosecutor visited the scene.

Burkina Faso is one of Africa’s biggest gold producers, with many mines run by international firms, as well as informal ones without any oversite or regulation.

BBC West Africa correspondent Nicolas Negoce says that since 2009, gold has become Burkina Faso’s leading export, overtaking cotton.

In 2020, the country produced 54 tonnes of gold, compared to 45 tonnes in 2019, an increase of 20%, according to the ministry in charge of mines and quarries.

Deadly accidents such as roof collapses frequently happen at informal mines in many African countries.

Last month, at least 13 people were killed in a huge blast in neighbouring Ghana after a truck carrying explosives to a gold mine collided with a motorbike. — BBC